Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 241 / Monday, December 18, 2023 / Notices 87393 

Steven Peterson, 

Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2023–27683 Filed 12–15–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–E2–C 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Region 5 and Region 6; California, 

Oregon, and Washington; Forest Plan 

Amendment for Planning and 

Management of Northwest Forests 

Within the Range of the Northern 

Spotted Owl 

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture 

(USDA). 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Pacific Northwest and 

Pacific Southwest Regions of the Forest 

Service, USDA, are proposing to amend 

the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). 

The amendment would apply to those 

Forest Service units, or parts thereof, 

with land management plans amended 

in 1994 by the NWFP or with land 

management plans developed later to 

include provisions of the NWFP. Units 

in the Pacific Northwest Region (Region 

6) include: Deschutes National Forest, 

Fremont-Winema National Forest, 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Mt. 

Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Mt. 

Hood National Forest, OkanoganWenatchee National Forest, Olympic 

National Forest, Rogue River-Siskiyou 

National Forest, Siuslaw National 

Forest, Umpqua National Forest, and 

Willamette National Forest. Units in the 

Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) 

include: Klamath National Forest and 

Butte Valley National Grassland, Lassen 

National Forest, Mendocino National 

Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six 

Rivers National Forest, and ShastaTrinity National Forest. This notice 

initiates a scoping period on a 

preliminary proposed action and 

advises the public that the Forest 

Service is preparing an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the 

effects of amending the Northwest 

Forest Plan. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis are most valuable to the 

Forest Service if received by January 29, 

2024. The draft EIS is expected in June 

2024 and will be accompanied by a 90- 

day comment period. The final EIS is 

expected to be available for review in 

October 2024. These dates are subject to 

changes in the project schedule. The 

dates and times of webinars that will be 

scheduled to share more information on 

the Northwest Forest Plan and potential 

proposed actions can be found at 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/

landmanagement/planning/

?cid=fsbdev2_026990. 

ADDRESSES: Individuals and entities are 

encouraged to submit comments via 

webform at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/ 

Public//CommentInput?Project=64745. 

Hardcopy letters must be submitted to 

the following address: Regional 

Forester, U.S. Forest Service, 1220 SW 

3rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97204. For 

those submitting hand-delivered 

comments, please call 971–260–7808 to 

make arrangements. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dennis Dougherty, Planning Portfolio 

Supervisor, via email at sm.fs.nwfp_

faca@usda.gov or at 541–519–0154. 

Individuals who use telecommunication 

devices for the deaf and hard of hearing 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service at 800–877–8339, 24 hours a 

day, every day of the year, including 

holidays. 


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FSA-153 (proposal 14) 

Appendix A-Tiers of Ownership 

Note: Tier 1 should reflect the title holder to the agricultural land. 

Page 4 of 4 
87394 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 241 / Monday, December 18, 2023 / Notices 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: On April 3, 1994, the 

Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior 

approved what is commonly referred to 

as the NWFP, an amendment to land 

management plans for National Forests, 

and resource management plans for 

lands managed by the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) within the range of 

the northern spotted owl (Strix 

occidentalis caurina) (NSO) in Oregon, 

Washington, and Northern California 

(NWFP area). The NWFP provided 

management direction that was 

intended to conserve late successional 

and old growth forest ecosystems and 

associated species, including the NSO, 

marbled murrelet, and threatened and 

endangered at-risk anadromous fish, 

while providing a sustainable supply of 

timber and non-timber products to 

support and stabilize local and regional 

economies. The NWFP includes 

objectives to protect late successional 

and old growth forest habitats; an 

Aquatic Conservation Strategy to protect 

and restore aquatic habitat and 

watersheds; land allocations with 

associated management standards and 

guidelines; and ‘‘Survey and Manage’’ 

standards and guidelines intended to 

provide a reasonable assurance of the 

persistence of rare and little-known 

species thought to be associated with 

mature and old growth forests. 

For nearly 30 years, Federal agencies 

have worked together and with partners 

to implement the NWFP to protect the 

long-term health of Federal forests in 

Oregon, Washington, and California in 

the range of the NSO. In many cases, the 

land management plans within the 

NWFP area are delivering effective, 

landscape-scale management, achieving 

positive community benefits and 

moving toward long-term desired 

ecological conditions by maintaining 

vegetation conditions that support NSO 

and marbled murrelets, protecting 

mature and old-growth forests, and 

retaining and improving habitat for 

aquatic and riparian-associated 

organisms. 

While important progress has been 

made, changed ecological and social 

conditions are challenging the 

effectiveness of the NWFP. In recent 

years, large, uncharacteristic wildfires 

have resulted in losses of mature and 

old growth forests eliminating gains 

achieved in the first 25 years of 

implementation of the NWFP, and 

research indicates that large wildfires, 

with impacts to mature and old growth 

forests and associated NSO habitat, will 

increase in frequency and extent in both 

the wetter (e.g., western Cascades) and 

drier (e.g., eastern Cascades, Klamath 

province) portions of forests within the 

NWFP area. Further, there is broad 

recognition, documented in numerous 

monitoring and research reports (see 

Changed Conditions below), that tribal 

involvement in the development of the 

1994 NWFP was overlooked and that 

engaging tribes in addressing the 

challenges faced in the NWFP area is 

critical to success. 

There is also substantial new 

information relevant to the NWFP 

including the 2011 recovery plan for the 

NSO, the 2012 critical habitat 

designation for the NSO and the 2021 

revision of that critical habitat 

designation, the 2021 Executive Order 

14008, ‘‘Tackling the Climate Crisis at 

Home and Abroad,’’ and the 2022 

Executive Order 14072 ‘‘Strengthening 

the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and 

Local Economies.’’ 

The NWFP affected Federal lands 

managed by the Forest Service and 

BLM. In 1995, the BLM updated 

resource management plans in western 

Oregon for the management of BLMadministered lands in the Coos Bay 

District, Eugene District, Salem District, 

and the Swiftwater Field Office of the 

Roseburg District, consistent with the 

NWFP, which guide management of 

approximately 2.5 million acres of BLMadministered lands. On August 5, 2016, 

the BLM revised these 1995 resource 

management plans to maintain strong 

protections for the NSO, listed fish 

species, and water resources while 

offering predictable and sustainable 

outcomes for local communities from 

tourism, recreation, and timber harvest. 

The Forest Service is proposing to 

amend NWFP direction, addressing 

changed conditions and new 

information, to improve resistance and 

resilience to fire where needed across 

the NWFP landscape, support 

adaptation to and mitigation of climate 

change in the NWFP landscape, address 

management needs of mature and old 

growth forests with related ecosystem 

habitat improvement, and contribute 

predictable supplies of timber and nontimber products to support economic 

sustainability in communities affected 

by forest management in the NWFP 

landscape, including addressing 

environmental justice concerns and 

ensuring tribal inclusion in developing 

and implementing plan direction in the 

NWFP. By strengthening habitat 

supported by mature and old growth 

ecosystems, an amendment is likely to 

enhance habitat protections for listed 

and unlisted wildlife to the wildlifefocused framework of the NWFP. The 

Forest Service is coordinating with the 

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well 

as NOAA Fisheries regarding 

consultation pursuant to Section 7 of 

the Endangered Species Act (ESA). An 

agreement will be developed to guide 

the consultation process. 

Changed Conditions: The Forest 

Service and its partners have assessed 

and monitored the overall outcomes 

resulting from implementing the NWFP 

strategy. Decades of research findings 

and monitoring results—including 

monitoring reports prepared by the 

Northwest Forest Plan Interagency 

Monitoring Program—have advanced 

our understanding of NWFP ecosystems 

and highlighted changed conditions. 

Reports that summarize the best 

available science and contribute to both 

our current understanding of ecosystem 

dynamics and identifying the 

preliminary needs for change include: 

• Synthesis of Science to Inform Land 

Management Within the Northwest 

Forest Plan Area (Spies et al. 2018.), and 

supplement, published by the Pacific 

Northwest Research Station. 

• Bioregional Assessment of 

Northwest Forests (BioA) (2020). 

• Supplemental Report to the 

Bioregional Assessment of Northwest 

Forests (2021). 

New Information: Actions related to 

NSO conservation have generated 

additional information since 

establishment of the NWFP in 1994. In 

2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) approved the ‘‘Revised 

Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted 

Owl’’ (recovery plan), after the 1990 

listing of the species as threatened 

under the Endangered Species Act 

(ESA). The ESA requires agencies to 

ensure that their actions are not likely 

to jeopardize the continued existence of 

listed species or result in the adverse 

modification or destruction of critical 

habitat. The NSO inhabits structurally 

complex forests from southwest British 

Columbia through the Cascade 

Mountains and coastal ranges in 

Washington, Oregon, and California, 

and as far south as Marin County, 

California. Managing sufficient habitat 

for the NSO now and into the future is 

important for its recovery, though this 

challenge is exacerbated by competition 

from the barred owl (Strix varia) which 

poses a significant and complex threat 

to the NSO. An important goal of the 

NWFP is to conserve mature and old 

growth forests which provide habitat for 

NSO. 

After publication of the recovery plan, 

the USFWS designated critical habitat 

for the NSO in 2012 and revised that 

designation in 2021. The designated 

areas are all located within the 

geographical area occupied by the NSO 

and contain specific characteristics, 

resources, and conditions necessary to 

support one or more life processes of the 


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species. The identified critical habitat 

contains features that are key to the 

conservation of the NSO and include 

lands within the NWFP reserves and 

matrix. Designation of critical habitat is 

a tool that supports the continued 

conservation of imperiled species by 

guiding cooperation within the Federal 

Government. 

More recently, in November 2023, the 

USFWS published a draft ‘‘Barred Owl 

Management Strategy’’ and draft 

environmental impact statement that 

addresses the threat of the non-native 

and invasive barred owls to NSO and 

California spotted owls. Based on a 

recent analysis, NSO populations in 

study areas throughout their range 

declined by 35% to more than 80% over 

the past two decades. California spotted 

owls, which the USFWS proposed for 

ESA listing earlier this year, face a 

similar risk from barred owl 

competition as barred owl populations 

continue to expand southward. 

New information has also been 

generated by the NWFP Interagency 

Regional Monitoring Program which 

evaluates the effectiveness of the NWFP 

in achieving its management objectives 

on Federal lands in the planning area. 

Monitoring efforts, conducted at 5-year 

intervals, emphasize important regional 

scale questions for multiple resource 

areas including populations and habitat 

of NSO. Based on the most recent 

monitoring findings, barred owls are a 

primary factor that negatively affects 

NSO demographic traits and population 

trends. Other factors such as habitat loss 

resulting from wildfire, logging, and 

insects and disease have also 

contributed. Concern about the impacts 

of climate change is also increasing. 

Ecologically appropriate timber 

management, such as thinning, can 

contribute to development of new 

habitat. 

As part of the monitoring program, in 

2021, the Forest Service published 

‘‘Strengthening the Federal-Tribal 

Relationship: A Report on Monitoring 

Consultation Under the Northwest 

Forest Plan.’’ The report identifies 

opportunities to make Federal-Tribal 

relationships more effective and 

meaningful. It includes 

recommendations to improve 

consultation, protect Tribal rights and 

access, and to improve Federal-Tribal 

forest management compatibility. 

Much more is known about the 

impact of climate change now than 

when the NWFP was approved in 1994, 

as described in the ‘‘Supplemental 

Report to the Bioregional Assessment of 

Northwest Forests’’ and in Executive 

Order 14008, ‘‘Tackling the Climate 

Crisis at Home and Abroad.’’ Further, in 

2012, the Forest Service updated its 

land management planning regulation 

(36 CFR 219, ‘‘2012 Planning Rule,’’) 

and included as a priority the need to 

plan for climate change and adaptation. 

In 2022, Executive Order 14072, 

‘‘Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, 

Communities, and Local Economies’’ 

was published. This executive order set 

in motion a multi-agency analysis of 

threats to mature, or late successional, 

as defined in the NWFP Record of 

Decision, and old-growth forests on 

Federal lands, including from wildfire 

and climate change, along with efforts to 

identify conservation strategies that will 

help address these threats. These 

analyses, along with advancements in 

best available science, including 

Indigenous Knowledge, offer ideas and 

strategies for better meeting the 

objectives of the NWFP. 

Purpose. The purpose of the proposed 

action is to amend the NWFP to 

establish new or modify existing plan 

components for 17 affected national 

forests to better enable the agency to 

meet the original intent of the NWFP to 

conserve mature and old-growth 

ecosystems and habitat for the NSO and 

other species, protect riparian areas and 

waters, and provide a sustainable 

supply of timber and non-timber forest 

products. Amending the NWFP will 

provide an opportunity for the Forest 

Service to incorporate findings from the 

Bioregional Assessment, the Science 

Synthesis and supplements, which 

identify changed conditions across the 

NWFP area since it was approved in 

1994, and to incorporate new 

information relevant to the NWFP 

including monitoring reports. 

Need to Change. In preparing an 

amendment to the NWFP, the 

responsible official shall base an 

amendment on a preliminary 

identification of the need to change the 

plan (36 CFR 219.13(a)(1)). The 

preliminary need to change documents 

the issues identified by the agency 

through public and Tribal engagement, 

the Science Synthesis, Bioregional 

Assessment and new information 

described above, as well as issues 

identified by its partners and 

consideration by the NWFP Federal 

Advisory Committee (NWFP FAC). 

The preliminary need to change 

focuses on five interrelated topic areas, 

including: 

• Improving fire resistance and 

resilience across the NWFP planning 

area, 

• Strengthening the capacity of 

NWFP ecosystems to adapt to the 

ongoing effects of climate change, 

• Improving conservation and 

recruitment of mature and old-growth 

forest conditions, ensuring adequate 

habitat for species dependent upon 

mature and old growth ecosystems and 

supporting regional biodiversity, 

• Incorporating Indigenous 

Knowledge into planning, project 

design, and implementation to achieve 

forest management goals and meet the 

agency’s general trust responsibilities, 

and 

• Providing a predictable supply of 

timber and non-timber products, and 

other economic opportunities to support 

the long-term sustainability of 

communities located proximate to 

National Forest System lands and 

economically connected to forest 

resources. 

Fire Resistance and Resilience: Recent 

wildfires, particularly in dry forests, 

have burned extremely large areas at 

high severities and at levels that differ 

from historic reference conditions in dry 

forests, where large patches of fire-killed 

trees were historically rare. Such fires 

have resulted in considerable harm to 

communities, including tribes, 

compounding existing social and 

economic sustainability challenges. The 

recent trend of increasing high-severity 

wildfire also threatens the ecological 

integrity of these forests, including 

mature and old growth forest conditions 

and the species, including the NSO, that 

depend on them—the precise resources 

that the NWFP was meant to maintain 

and restore. The Forest Service seeks 

additional plan direction that improves 

managers’ ability to mitigate the risks of 

wildfire to communities, including 

tribes, and natural resources by 

supporting the functional role that fire 

plays in the ecological integrity of 

forests within the NWFP area, 

particularly in dry forests. In addition, 

while the NWFP recognizes the 

differences in management needs along 

the gradient of wet to dry forests, more 

clarity is needed to ensure that 

managers can implement the beneficial 

use of fire and other strategies 

appropriately across the varying 

ecosystems, including within riparian 

areas in the NWFP area. 

In the drier portions of the NWFP 

area, more than a century of fire 

exclusion and other management 

practices have resulted in overly dense 

and homogenous forest conditions that 

heightens the risk of large, high-severity 

fires. Such management practices have 

resulted in forest composition and 

structure that is more vulnerable to fire, 

because forests often have higher 

densities of smaller trees and shrubs 

and a lower proportion of fire-resilient 

species than were historically present. 

In moist forests, remaining mature 

and old growth ecosystems are being 


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lost and further fragmented by wildfire. 

Plan direction is sought to prioritize 

mature and old growth forest conditions 

including habitat for the NSO and other 

ecosystem services during wildfire 

suppression activities. New postwildfire silvicultural direction would 

guide reforestation and restoration of 

burned landscapes and for other postdisaster recovery efforts. New direction 

would also effectively steward existing 

plantations to contribute to a robust and 

resilient ecosystem that support the 

region’s communities. 

Indigenous fire stewardship and 

cultural burning regimes can contribute 

to the ecological health of NWFP forests. 

The NWFP did not adequately address 

the severe ecological impacts of a 

century of fire suppression and removal 

of Indigenous fire practices and cultural 

fire regimes on the landscape. Equitable 

and meaningful Tribal co-management 

and co-stewardship related to fire is 

needed, including recognition of the 

importance of Indigenous fire 

stewardship and cultural burning 

regimes to the ecological health of 

NWFP ecosystems. Developing and 

maintaining mature and old growth 

forest conditions, heterogeneous and 

complex forest structures, biodiversity, 

habitat, and cultural ecosystem services 

is strengthened through inclusion of 

Indigenous fire practitioners and 

practice. 

Climate Change: Hot and dry 

conditions are projected to become 

increasingly frequent, intense, and 

prolonged in the NWFP area as 

temperatures warm and summer rains 

become less frequent. The Pacific 

Northwest is rapidly warming, and 

while changes in total annual 

precipitation are not projected to be 

substantial, changes in snowpack and 

streamflow are anticipated, contributing 

to the potential for uncharacteristic fire. 

As a result, climate change is 

significantly altering the ecological 

processes and disturbance regimes 

which shape NWFP area forests. Acute 

disturbance events in turn leave forests 

more susceptible to long-term shifts in 

tree species composition that is less fire 

resilient. There is also a recognition of 

the critical role forests within the NWFP 

area can play in carbon sequestration 

and storage as a mitigation to climate 

change. 

Climate change is also affecting other 

ecological and hydrologic processes, 

increasing the vulnerability of NWFP 

forests and overall ecological integrity. 

With climate change, the timing and 

significance of rain events is 

increasingly atypical with respect to 

impacts on plants, people, and 

infrastructure. In the wet systems, 

atmospheric rivers cause floods, 

affecting road systems and culverts with 

impacts to fish, aquatic biodiversity, 

and access for recreation. Within dry 

forest systems, climate change is 

increasing the likelihood of drought and 

is contributing to wildland fires 

occurring at uncharacteristic scales and 

severities. Furthermore, climate change 

is shifting the distribution of forest 

types, plant and animal communities 

and fire regimes (e.g., wet versus dry 

forests) throughout the NWFP area. 

Climate-related vulnerabilities 

include increased drought-related stress, 

increasing insect, exotic species and 

pathogen damage, and loss of 

appropriate historical forest type cover 

in some areas. Drought conditions and 

longer fire seasons are climate impacts 

with wide-ranging effects, and improved 

fire resilience is an important 

adaptation strategy. 

Since 1994, Tribes and State and 

Federal agencies have produced a range 

of climate vulnerability assessments and 

adaptation plans applicable to the 

NWFP area. Amendment of the NWFP 

should reflect consideration of preexisting and ongoing forest-level, Tribal 

and State climate vulnerability 

assessments, adaptation plans and 

resilience-building initiatives. Tribal 

communities are on the front lines of 

climate change, both in experiencing 

significant impacts of climate stressors 

and as leaders in climate change 

monitoring, planning, mitigation, and 

adaptation. The NWFP should reflect 

Tribal knowledge and a significant role 

for Tribes in monitoring the effects of 

climate change, conducting research on 

these effects and developing strategies 

to address climate change adaptations 

and responses across the NWFP area. 

Mature and Old Growth Ecosystems: 

Protecting and enhancing biodiversity of 

mature and old growth ecosystems is a 

central tenet of the NWFP, and the 2012 

Planning Rule’s focus on ecosystem 

integrity emphasizes this priority. 

Mature and old growth ecosystems are 

critical components of biodiversity and 

provide carbon storage. The NWFP 

protects mature and old growth 

ecosystems primarily through a system 

of reserves and leave tree requirements, 

though mature and old growth stands 

outside of reserves do not have the same 

level of protection. 

As noted, the NWFP did not 

adequately address important 

differences in successional and 

disturbance dynamics in different types 

of forests, and so did not adequately 

account for threats from uncharacteristic 

disturbance and climate change. New 

plan direction would improve 

conservation and recruitment of mature 

and old growth forest conditions and 

associated habitat for NSO and other 

vulnerable species in moist forest 

settings. At the same time, active 

management is necessary to restore and 

conserve mature and old growth forest 

conditions and associated biodiversity 

in seasonally dry, fire prone forests. 

More nuanced direction would support 

mature and old growth ecosystems with 

management strategies that recognize 

biophysical and cultural variability in 

forests and the importance of future 

forest adaptation and resiliency. 

Tribal Inclusion: The NWFP area 

encompasses tribal lands or ancestral 

territories associated with over 80 

federally recognized American Indian 

Tribes, and additional tribes that are not 

currently recognized. The development 

and implementation of the NWFP in 

1994 could have involved more 

consultation, engagement, and 

partnership with tribes and the 

inclusion of ecological and traditional 

ecological knowledge. It is imperative 

that Tribal governments, 

representatives, and communities across 

the NWFP area have the opportunity to 

engage in amendment of the NWFP to 

ensure that Tribal sovereignty and treaty 

rights are accurately addressed and to 

integrate co-stewardship and comanagement frameworks for 

accomplishing plan objectives. In some 

cases, cultural resources and other forest 

products that are important to tribes, or 

are recognized as treaty rights, should 

be prioritized over non-native or 

commercial uses. For example, there 

may be First Food locations or 

resources, such as huckleberries, where 

Indigenous Knowledge and practices are 

primary/dominant and should be 

considered for prioritization of 

management separately from other 

public interests. 

An amendment to the NWFP would 

incorporate best available scientific 

evidence from both western and 

Indigenous science perspectives to meet 

the threats to, and drivers of fire 

resilience in forests and communities. 

Where Tribal, forest-level, or regional 

plans have not been developed, the 

Forest Service should collaborate with 

Tribal Natural Resources and Wildlife 

departments, Forests and communities 

to support efforts to design strategies for 

climate refugia and habitat connectivity 

for threatened and endangered and 

culturally relevant species, vulnerability 

assessments, and adaptation plans, and 

to build social and ecological resilience 

to climate change related stressors. 

Communities: The development and 

implementation of the NWFP has had 

significant socio-economic, cultural, 

workforce, and financial impacts on 


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communities and publics. The NWFP 

has largely not achieved its timber 

production goals, which were the 

NWFP’s primary criteria for supporting 

economies and community wellbeing 

(e.g. livelihoods and subsistence 

practices). Impacts include not only 

timber-related employment, but also 

community and industry infrastructure, 

and community connection to 

management and conservation practices 

and activities. In addition, some social, 

economic, and ecological challenges 

currently facing communities were not 

anticipated by the NWFP. For example, 

communities are facing increasing risks 

from natural hazards (e.g., wildfire, 

flooding, debris flows) related to 

conditions on National Forest System 

lands. The intent of the NWFP 

amendment is to be forward-looking and 

promote adaptability of communities, 

the forest workforce, and the Forest 

Service to future changes with a focus 

on timber and non-timber products and 

other economic opportunities. 

Proposed Action. The following is a 

preliminary description of the agency’s 

proposed amendment to address the 

interrelated concerns identified in the 

preliminary need to change. The agency 

will refine the proposed action 

considering comments received from 

the public and recommendations from 

the Northwest Forest Plan Area Federal 

Advisory Committee. To strengthen the 

NWFP to meet its objectives, the Forest 

Service seeks to amend the 1994 action 

to: 

• Improve fire resistance and 

resilience by clarifying direction for 

employing prescribed fire, managed fire 

use associated with natural ignitions, 

cultural burning, and active 

management. Direction should reflect 

differences in dry and moist forested 

ecosystems, non-forested ecosystems, 

and in riparian areas. Direction would 

ensure that forests are managed to adapt 

to changing fire regimes, restore fire in 

a functional role in the health and 

integrity of forest ecosystems, and 

contribute to traditional cultural 

resources. Improved fire resilience will 

meet the needs of the Endangered 

Species Act, support the Forest 

Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy, and 

strengthen relationships between the 

agency and Tribal Nations and 

Indigenous peoples. 

• Strengthen the capacity of NWFP 

ecosystems to adapt to the ongoing 

effects of climate change and to mitigate 

impacts of climate change. Deliberate 

focus on climate impacts is needed to 

help managers address key 

vulnerabilities of drought-related stress, 

increasing impacts of disease, insects 

and exotic species, negative impacts to 

forest cover, and watershed 

management strategies that improve 

conservation of fish habitat and stream 

flows. 

• Improve sustainability of mature 

and old growth ecosystems by providing 

plan direction to maintain and expand 

mature and old growth forest conditions 

and reduce loss risk across all land use 

allocations. Amended plan content 

would differentiate and clarify varying 

conservation goals for moist and dry 

forest ecosystems. In addition, it would 

clarify management intent within land 

use allocations, including matrix and 

adaptive management areas. 

• Add plan direction incorporating 

Indigenous Knowledge into planning 

and plan implementation, including 

future project design, to identify and 

support tribal goals, achieve forest 

management goals and meet the 

agency’s trust responsibilities. 

• Support the long-term sustainability 

of communities located near National 

Forest System lands and those that are 

culturally and economically connected 

to forest resources. Clarity is needed 

regarding opportunities for timber and 

non-timber products, including from 

restoration activities. The NWFP should 

sustain the values, benefits, and other 

ecosystem services that national forests 

provide to communities, including 

tribes, that directly depend on them. 

Above all, changes in plan direction 

would ensure effective wildfire risk 

reduction to reduce risks to 

communities, life, and property. 

Expected impacts are strong tribal 

inclusion, improved fire resilience, 

especially in mature and old growth 

forests, with associated improvements 

to habitat and biodiversity and supply 

of timber and non-timber products and 

economic opportunity from National 

Forest System Lands. 

Preliminary Alternatives. This notice 

of intent initiates the official scoping 

process, which guides the development 

of the environmental impact statement. 

Written comments received in response 

to this notice will be analyzed to further 

develop the proposed action and to 

identify potential significant issues for 

developing alternatives to the proposed 

action. A no-action alternative, which 

represents no change to existing 

management direction, will be analyzed 

in addition to the proposed action and 

will serve as the baseline for the 

comparison among action alternatives. 

Comments we receive in response to 

this notice of intent may identify 

additional alternatives. 

Lead and Cooperating Agencies. 

Public agencies and Tribes are invited to 

indicate interest in participating as a 

cooperating agency. 

Responsible Official. The Responsible 

Officials for this amendment are the 

Regional Foresters of the Pacific 

Northwest Region and the Pacific 

Southwest Region. 

Nature of the Decision to Be Made. 

The Responsible Officials will decide 

whether to approve one or more 

proposals to amend the NWFP to 

establish new or to modify existing plan 

components. Given the purpose and 

need of the amendment, the Responsible 

Officials will review alternatives and 

public comments, consider the 

environmental consequences, and 

document the finding in an 

environmental impact statement. The 

Responsible Officials will decide 

whether to select the proposed action, 

another alternative, or a combination of 

alternatives and base their decision on 

the preliminary need to change the plan. 

Substantive Provisions. When 

proposing a Forest Plan amendment, the 

2012 Planning Rule at 36 CFR 

219.13(b)(2) requires the responsible 

official to provide notice of which 

substantive requirements of 36 CFR 

219.8–219.11 are likely to be directly 

related to the amendment. Whether a 

Planning Rule provision is directly 

related to an amendment is determined 

by any one of the following: The 

purpose for the amendment, a beneficial 

effect of the amendment, a substantive 

adverse effect of the amendment, or a 

lessening of plan protections by the 

amendment (36 CFR 219.13(b)(5). Based 

on those criteria, the substantive 

provisions that are likely to be directly 

related to the proposed amendments 

are: (1) 36 CFR 219.8(a)(1), ecosystem 

integrity; (2) 36 CFR 219.8(b), Social and 

economic sustainability; (3) 36 CFR 

219.9(a), ecosystem plan components; 

(4) 36 CRF 219.10 (a)(5), Habitat 

conditions, subject to the requirements 

of § 219.9, for wildlife, fish, and plants 

commonly enjoyed and used by the 

public; for hunting, fishing, trapping, 

gathering, observing, subsistence, and 

other activities (in collaboration with 

federally recognized Tribes, Alaska 

Native Corporations, other Federal 

agencies, and State and local 

governments); (5) 36 CFR 219.10 (a)(8), 

System drivers, including dominant 

ecological processes, disturbance 

regimes, and stressors, such as natural 

succession, wildland fire, invasive 

species, and climate change; and the 

ability of the terrestrial and aquatic 

ecosystems on the plan area to adapt to 

change (§ 219.8); (6) 36 CFR 219.10 

(b)(1)(iii), Management of areas of tribal 

importance; and (7) 36 CFR 219.11(c), 

Timber harvest for purposes other than 

timber production. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
87398 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 241 / Monday, December 18, 2023 / Notices 

Scoping Comments and the Objection 

Process. This notice of intent initiates 

the scoping process. Comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be considered and will guide the 

development of the proposed 

amendment and draft environmental 

impact statement which will be 

accompanied by a 90-day comment 

period. In this scoping period, the 

Agency is requesting comments on 

potential alternatives and impacts, and 

identification of any relevant 

information, studies, or analyses 

concerning impacts that may affect the 

quality of the environment. It is 

important that reviewers provide their 

comments at such times and in such 

manner that they are useful to the 

agency’s preparation of the 

environmental impact statement. 

Therefore, comments should be 

provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. The agency is planning 

several webinars to share information 

about the Northwest Forest Plan and 

potential proposed actions. See DATES

section above for a link to dates, times 

and links will be https://

www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/

landmanagement/planning/

?cid=fsbdev2_026990. 

The proposed action is subject to the 

objection process identified in 36 CFR 

219, subpart B (219.50–219.62). 

Commenting during the opportunity to 

comment provided by the Responsible 

Official as prescribed by the applicable 

regulations will establish eligibility to 

object once the final environmental 

impact statement and draft record of 

decision have been published. Only 

individuals or entities who submit 

substantive written comments during 

the designated comment periods will be 

eligible to participate in the objection 

process (36 CFR 219.53(a)). Substantive 

written comments should be within the 

scope of the proposed action, have a 

direct relationship to the proposed 

action, and include supporting reasons 

for the Responsible Official to consider. 

Comments submitted anonymously will 

be accepted and considered; however, 

they cannot be used to establish 

eligibility for the objection process. 

Comments received in response to this 

solicitation, including names (and 

addresses, if included) of those who 

comment, will be part of the public 

record for this proposed action. 

This preliminary proposed action and 

other related documents are available 

for comment on the project website 

listed in the ADDRESSES section above, 

and additional information regarding 

this proposal can be found at https://

www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/ 

landmanagement/planning/

?cid=fsbdev2_026990. 

Dated: December 13, 2023. 

Troy Heithecker, 

Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest 

System. 

[FR Doc. 2023–27742 Filed 12–15–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Intent To Establish Secure Rural 

Schools Resource Advisory 

Committee and Solicitation of 

Nominations for Membership for 

Secure Rural Schools Resource 

Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture 

(USDA). 

ACTION: Notice of Establishment for 

Secure Rural Schools Resource 

Advisory Committee and Solicitation of 

Nominations for Membership. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Secure 

Rural Schools (SRS) and Community 

Self-Determination Act of 2000 as 

amended, codified in Agricultural 

Improvement Act of 2018, and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA), as amended, the United States 

Department of Agriculture announces 

its intent to renew the charter for 80 

Secure Rural Schools Resource 

Advisory Committees (RACs) and 

establish six new RACs through merger/ 

consolidation. The Secure Rural Schools 

Advisory Committees will advise the 

Secretary of Agriculture on proposed 

recommendations and other such 

matters as the Secretary determines. The 

Secure Rural Schools Resource 

Advisory Committees will be governed 

by the provisions of FACA. Duration of 

Secure Rural Schools Resource 

Advisory Committees are for two years 

unless renewed by the Secretary, USDA. 

This notice also solicits nominations for 

membership on the Secure Rural 

Schools Resource Advisory Committees. 

DATES: Written nominations must be 

submitted via email or postmarked 

within 90 days following the 

publication date of this notice. A 

completed application packet includes 

the nominee’s name, resume, and 

completed Form AD–755 (Advisory 

Committee or Research and Promotion 

Background Information, https://

www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/ 

documents/ad-755.pdf). All completed 

application packets must be sent to the 

addresses below. 

ADDRESSES: 

Northern Regional Office—Region I 

Central Montana RAC, Flathead RAC, 

Gallatin RAC, Idaho Panhandle RAC, 

Lincoln RAC, Mineral County RAC, 

Missoula RAC, Missouri River RAC, 

North Central Idaho RAC, Ravalli RAC, 

Sanders RAC, Southern Montana RAC, 

Southwest Montana RAC, Tri-County 

RAC 

Jeffery Miller, Northern Regional 

Coordinator, Forest Service, 26 Fort 

Missoula Road, Missoula, Montana 

59804, (406) 329–3576, 

jeffrey.m.miller@usda.gov. 

Rocky Mountain Regional Office— 

Region II 

Black Hills RAC and Greater Rocky 

Mountain RAC 

David Boyd, Rocky Mountain 

Regional Coordinator, Forest Service, 

1617 Cole Boulevard, Building 17, 

Lakewood, Colorado 80401, 

david.boyd@usda.gov, (970) 319–4895. 

Southwestern Regional Office—Region 

III 

Coconino County RAC, Eastern Arizona 

RAC, Northern New Mexico RAC, 

Southern Arizona RAC, Southern New 

Mexico RAC, Yavapai RAC 

Erick Stemmerman, Southwestern 

Regional Coordinator, Forest Service, 

333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, New 

Mexico 87102, (575) 654–3278, 

erick.stemmerman@usda.gov. 

Intermountain Regional Office—Region 

IV 

Alpine RAC, Bridger-Teton RAC, Central 

Idaho RAC, Dixie RAC, Eastern Idaho 

RAC, Fishlake RAC, Lyon-Mineral RAC, 

Manti-La Sal RAC, Northern Utah RAC, 

South Central Idaho RAC, Southwest 

Idaho RAC, Rural Nevada RAC 

Hannah Lenkowski, Intermountain 

Regional Coordinator, Forest Service, 

355 North Vernal Avenue, Vernal, UT 

84078, hannah.lenkowski@usda.gov, 

385–517–0972. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES